Launched in late 2016, the satellite carries a hyperspectral CO2 detector, making China the third country in the world after the USA and Japan to provide CO2 data. Vegetation chlorophyll fluorescence can also be measured with high accuracy, allowing to estimate photosynthetic productivity of the world’s vegetation. Combined with simultaneous inversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, the synergy between the two will greatly enhance the global carbon sink observation capability. When TanSat satellite chlorophyll fluorescence measurements for 2017 were compared with those of the US OCO-2 satellite, the characteristics of seasonal variations were highly consistent.

China Bio news release, March 1, 2018

The CAS Institute of Psychology has developed an AI system which can scan and analyze users’ posts and comments on social network platforms such as Weibo. Once a potentially suicidal user is found, the system will use its Weibo Account to send them a message, encouraging them to call local suicide prevention services for help. According to China Youth Daily, the system has sent 14,435 messages to internet users since July 2017, with an accuracy rate of 92.2 percent. Suicide prevention is a priority of the Chinese government, as suicide, especially among young people, is becoming a serious issue in Chinese society. According to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Health in 2017, suicide has become the leading cause of death of young Chinese people aged between 15 and 35.

CAS news release, February 2, 2018

During a meeting of China’s Minister of S&T, WAN Gang, and the German Secretary of State at BMBF, Georg SCHÜTTE, accomplishments of cooperation during the past 40 years were reviewed, and 11 new joint innovation platforms were decided. There are now more than 300 scientific projects between universities of the two countries, and German scientists are actively involved in half of the top 20 scientific research institutions in China, he said. From 2006 to 2010, China and Germany collaborated on and jointly published more than 9,300 scientific papers. The number rose to more than 19,000 from 2010 to 2015, according to China’s National Center for Science and Technology Evaluation. China and Germany will continue to jointly research scientific projects such as public health, security, sustainable development, transportation and manufacturing. At the same time, Germany will strengthen cooperation with China in cutting-edge scientific fields, such as ecological protection, biotechnology, advanced materials and the internet of things.

CAS news release, March 1, 2018

According to a report by the State Health Planning Commission, Chinese companies mostly occupy the middle and low prize tier of medical devices, wheres the top tier is dominated by foreign brands which are considered about 15 years ahead in development. However, Chinese companies are catching up in this segment as well and make quick advances in areas such as orthopedics and cardiovascular interventional devices, implantable devices and artificial organs.

China Bio news release, Februry 27, 2018

A new study by ZHANG Wenping, a Panda specialist at Sichuan University in Chengdu, has shown by metagenome sequencing of the Panda’s gut that it is not the Panda microbiota which would make a major contribution to his nutrition by degrading of cellulose or lignin abundant in bamboo. Rather, the Panda’s own digestive enzymes have evolved for a high digestibility of starch and hemicellulose, allowing for a fast dietary transition from breast milk to bamboo shoots and tender leaves as a major source of nutrition. Bamboo has high levels of starch among all woody plants, and giant pandas have adapted to bamboo as their preferred nutrition because it is everywhere in their habitats, and they have few competitors for this food.

CAS news release, February 27, 2018

During an inspection of compliance with Chinese GMO rules which the Ministry carried out throughout China, it was reported that the vast majority of inspected units complied but seven R & D units and test units did irregular reporting. For example, Beijing Huaxin Albert Seed Technology Co. conducted an interim test of genetically modified corn which was not reported, and Anhui Huishang Tongchuang Hi-Tech Seed Co. bred a small amount of transgenic corn non-compliant with the reported material. The Ministry issued a warning to all units concerned.

China Bio news release, February 26, 2018

According to a survey of China International Ecommerce Publisher, the pharmaceutical market of China exceeded 2 trillion Yuan in 2017, of which the retail drug market reached 367.9 billion yuan, an increase of 9.5% over 2016. As of the end of November 2016, there were 12,975 drug wholesalers, 5609 drug retail chains, 226,331 retail pharmacies and 447,034 retail drugstores. Western medicines were still the main products, accounting for over 70%. The pharmaceutical e-commerce model is still in the ascendant and its scale has gradually risen to about 75 billion Yuan.

China Bio news release, February 26, 2018

The Hebei-based company is the only one in China which commercially uses three expression systems (mammalian cells, recombinant yeast, Escherichia coli). They are a leading producer of hepatitis B vaccine, G-CSF, GM-CSF, EPO and are the country’s major producer of recombinant human serum albumin. Currently a number of antibodies, fusion proteins, cytokines, vaccines and other recombinant protein drugs are under development.

China Bio news release, February 23, 2018

The group around LIU Guang-Hui at Tongji University in Shanghai has expanded airway basal cells isolated from bronchodilator patients collected at the time of bronchoscopy. After expansion and implantation in the donor patient, pulmonary functions improved.

Nikkei Biotech news release, February 16, 2018; China Bio news release, February 11, 2018

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, R&D spending rose 11.6 percent year-on-year to 1.75 trillion yuan (about 280 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017. The spending accounted for 2.12 percent of China’s gross domestic product. Chinese enterprises spent more than 1.37 trillion yuan on R&D last year, up 13.1 percent from 2016, while R&D spending at government institutions and colleges increased 7 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively.
Some 92 billion yuan, or 5.3 percent of the total spending, was put into fundamental research in 2017, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier. China had 5.35 million people working in R&D at the end of 2015, the world’s largest pool of R&D personnel.

CAS news release, February 14, 2018

The group at CAS Guangzhou Institute of Biology improved the efficiency of stem cell induction, initiated new perspectives for reprogramming iPS stem cells and made systematic studies on the mechanism of transdifferentiation. They also found that vitamin C improves the efficiency of stem cell induction. Jointly with the Hefei High-tech Construction Investment Group Co., they established a venture company, Hefei Zhongke Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Co..

China Bio news release, February 13, 2018

Jointly with other groups, the team of WANG Jinyoung investigated the in vivo reprogramming of functional T cells, as a new method to generate a large number of naive T cells which, after antigen stimulation, can generate long-term acquired immune memory. Screening of 15 candidate transcription factors led to the identification of Hoxb5 factor, which reprograms B cells to T cells in the body. This reprogramming process produces bone-like early T lymphoid progenitor cells (BM-ETP) two weeks after injection into the bone marrow, and regenerative early T lymphoid progenitor cells (Thy-ETP) appear in the thymus in the third week. From the fourth week after transplantation, the thymus begins to export a large number of functional T cells. This method reconstructs 50-80% of the immune output of the thymus. A two-year follow-up study on mice that had been reprogrammed to re-establish the T-immune system in vivo found no evidence of tumorigenic safety risks.

China Bio news release, February 13, 2018

Increased body fat in humans is closely associated with obesity and diabetes. In swine production, increased body fat is inversely proportional to production efficiency and meat quality. Therefore, a better understanding of fat development is important for both humans and animals. Branched-chain amino acids containing leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val), can act directly on adipocytes to affect fat metabolism, favoring fat reduction. Researchers from the China Agricultural University and the CAS Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) identified that the optimal ratio of dietary branched-chain amino acids. Dietary supplementation with this ratio reduced the weight of total fat mass, increased adiponectin concentration, and modulated adipose tissue functions including fatty acid synthesis, transport, and oxidation, as well as lipolysis.

CAS news release, February 13, 2018

The group around LIU Yajun at the CAS Institute of Bioenergy and Bioproess Technology achieved directed engineering of cellulosome for in situ purification of the catalytic domain of Cel48S, an exoglucanase, in one step with high purity and full activity. Substantial biochemical and structural analyses based on native protein were performed subsequently to reveal the true features of this key cellulosomal enzyme.

CAS news release, February 12, 2018

A team led by WANG Feng of CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics developed a carbon modified Ni-based catalyst to achieve selective hydrogenolysis of lignin to phenolic compounds, and 22 wt % yields of aromatics were achieved from hydrogenolysis of oxidized birch lignin.

China Bio news release, February 9, 2018

The center, built and managed by China, monitors major earthquake subduction zones — where the Earth plates converge — in the South China, Sulu and Sulawesi seas and provides 24-hour uninterrupted warning services. Until now, services relied on American and Japanese warning centers. The center is capable of warning the public of a tsunami eight to ten minutes after an earthquake.

CAS news release, February 9, 2018

The company, which has just started clinical phase III in the USA on glargine, in 2015 ranked 3d in the Chinese insulin market, with 11.2%, behind 53.1% of Nordisk and 26.7% of Sanofi, but has overtaken Eli Lilly (9%). Prices offered by Gan Li are about 20 % under those of competitors.

China Bio news release, February 7, 2018

CAAS has approved a novel type of rapeseed oil „Zhong Yusha 1“, obtained from radiation-induced mutagenesis of an African variety of rapeseed. Characteristics are high yield, high oil content and good quality. The tuber seed oil content is 31.3%, which is the oilseed rape with the highest oil content in the Yangtze River Basin. The oleic acid content is 68.2 %, linoleic acid 11.0%, quality comparable with olive oil. Dry weight yields of 568kg/mu and oil yield per mu of over 170kg have led to name this crop king of oil crops””

China Bio news release, February 7, 2018

The network is composed of 21 radio telescopes from China, Japan and South Korea. Some new telescopes are under construction (e.g., a 110 meter telescope in Xinjiang, China) or planned (Thailand VLBI network, the expansion of KVN), continuously enlarging the EAVN family and increasing its performance significantly.
EAVN’s full operation will yield a high angular resolution similar to a telescope with an effective diameter of thousands of kilometers.

CAS news release, February 5, 2018